Water-elevator.



PATENTED NOV. 17," 1903.

J. L. BROWN. WATER ELEVATOR. APPLIOATION FILED MAY 13, 190 2.

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NO .MODEL.

Inve nooh Witnesses THE Nonms PETE co, PNOTO!L1THO., \VASHINGTGN. n C.

N0; 744,288. PATENTED NOV. 17, 1903.

J. L. BROWN.-

WATER ELEVATOR.

APPLIGATION FILED MAY 13, 1902.

6 z r 2 37 l I; 3 50 1 W J p .1 6 E o 6 1 I I v 3 52 a4 Witnesses IInventor PATENTED NOV. 1'7, 1903.

I J. L. BROWN.

WATER ELEVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, 1902. N0 MODEL. 3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

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Witnesses Inventor @212 mesl-l d Brown m: uonms ps'rsns co. Pnmouwu,wAsr-uunon, o. c.

no. 744,288. Patented November w, 1903.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES LLOYD BROWN, or LOsANeEL s, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF 'lOJOHN GEORGE YOUNG, OF Los ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

WATER- ELEVATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters 1 atent No. 744,288, datedNovember 17, 1903.

Application filed May 13,1902. ierial No. 107.182. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: up onto the teeth of the sprocket, wherebyBe it known that 1, JAMES LLOYD BROWN, a the chain is broken either bydirect strain or citizen of the United States, residing at Los by thejar caused by the dropping of the Angeles, in the county of Los Angelesand loaded portion of the conveyer when'thelinks 5 State of California,have invented a certain slip over the top of the sprockets. I accomnewand useful Improvement in Water-Eleplish this feature by passing thechains over vators, of which the following is a specificasmooth-surfacedpulleys except the pulleys tion. to which the power is applied. I v

Myinvention relates'to Water-elevators, and My invention has for one ofits objects to 6o [0 more particularly to that class of such devicesproduce a device of thiskind which shall be in which a series of bucketsor carriers are peculiarly adapted foruse in irrigation where mountedupon an endless conveyor and the the water is to be raised or elevatedfrom a carriers are adapted to be filled by being imsuitable source ofsupply, as from a well or mersed in the water and are emptied bybereservoir, and be discharged at the top, from I5 ing wholly orpartially inverted above a diswhence it isdistributed to the point wherecharge trough or spout. needed.

In constructing conveyors or elevators for Another object is to producea device which water, earth, and other materials from ashaft, can bereadily and firmly secured in position well, or other reservoir it isnecessary that the and have power applied thereto in such man- 2ocarriers or receptacles be placed close tonor that no special attentionneed be given to gether upon the conveyor, so as to elevate the keep itin operation. greatest amount of material with the least Another objectis to construct a device in forward movement of the chain and also towhich the parts will be light in weight, yet secure the carriers in sucha manner that the strong and durable and that can be put up 25 contentswill not be spilled while being eleor assembled by the ordinary workmanwithvated and emptied, especially where wateris out the need of askilled mechanic. being elevated as for the purpose of irriga- Withthese and other objects in View my tion, 850. It is also desirable tomove the invention consists in the improved construcconveyer in such amanner that the carriers 'tion and novel arrangement of parts of a wa- 0will be held as nearly level as possible while ter-elevator, as will behereinafter more fully being elevated and that they will be turned setforth. a over sufficiently to completely discharge their Theaccompanying drawings illustrate the contents at the top. This Iaccomplish by invention. causing the conveyer to travel substantiallyFigure I is a side elevation of one form of 5 on the lines of aright-angle triangle, with water elevator embodying my invention.

the descending portion moving along the hy- Fig. II is a top plan viewof the same. Fig. potenuse and the ascending and emptying III is acentral sectional view of the upper portions moving along the lines ofthe other portion of the elevator. Fig. IV is a side two sides, suitableguides being provided view of the elevator looking from the right- 0when desired to keep the ascending carriers hand side of Fig. I. Fig. Vis a detail view, level and to prevent oscillatory movements. partly insection, of the bearings at the top It is also desirable to affordsufficient play or of the elevator. Fig.VI is a side view, partlymovement of the parts at the bottom to prein section, of the lower endof one of the posts vent catching or binding and possible breakof theelevator. Fig.VII is a transverse sec- 5 5 ing of the conveyor. Iaccomplish this by tional view taken through one of the elevapassing theconveyor over a vertically-movtor-chains and the adjacent part-s. Fig.VIII able support. is a detail elevation, partly in section, of a Astill further desirable feature in elevaportion of the chain and one ofthe buckets. tors in which the conveyor is formed from Fig. IX is anedge view of one of the links of 10c 50 sprocket-chains is to preventthe possibility the chain.

of the links of the chain creeping or climbing In practicing myinvention I preferably mount the conveyer upon a frame or support 1 atthe top of the well 2 or other place where it is to be used. Theconveyer is preferably formed from two sprocket-chains 3, between whichare suspended a series of buckets or scoops 4. The conveyer is mountedupon suitable pulleys 5, arranged in pairs or sets, two of the setsbeing arranged at a distance from each other upon the frame 1, and theother set is mounted at or near the bottom of the well 2. Two sets ofthe pulleys are smooth, while the third or motor set is provided withsprocket-wheels 6, which engage with the links of the chain and carrythe conveyer forward when the power is applied to the sprocket-wheels,as by means of pulleys 7. The pulleys 5 may be secured to shafts 8; butI prefer mounting one pulley of each set loosely, except on themotor-shaft, so as to provide for any inequality that may occur in therespective chains, and thereby prevent binding or twisting of the parts.The lower pulleys are preferably mounted in a lower pulley-frame 9,which fits loosely between guides 10 and which may be raised or loweredto accommodate the apparatus to the depth of the well or shaft or to thelevel of the water therein. Said guides may be secured in position inany manner, as by having their upper ends secured to the frame 1 andtheir lower ends driven into the ground or connected with suitableframework. (Not shown.) The frame 9 is provided with flanges 11 and 12at the top and the bottom, respectively, the bottom flanges formingparts of bearings 13, within which the lowershaft 8 is journaled. Theframe 9 may slip on the guard from top to bottom, and vice versa,so thatby putting in or taking out sections of the conveyer the same may beadjusted so that the lower end of the conveyer may be made to work atany desired depth in the wellor shaft.

By arranging the lower pulleys substantially in a direct line below thesmooth set of pulleys at the top the conveyer in passing over thepulleys will move upon the lines of a right-angle triangle, in which thedescending leg 14 of the conveyer will move upon the hypotenuse, whilethe vertical or ascending leg 15 and the horizontal leg 16 will move,respectively, upon the other two sides. By applying power at the upperacute angle of the triangle the weight of the material in the ascendingleg will cause the conveyer in the ascending and horizontal portions tobe stretched taut at all times, thereby causing any slack that may occurto be in the descending leg of the conveyer. This will cause theascending portion to run smoothly; but to prevent any swing or lateralmovement that might occur I prefer to arrange two parallel guides 17upon opposite sides of each chain or supporting portion of the conveyer.These guides may be secured at a distance from brackets 18 by means ofhollow sleeves or spacers 19 and bolts 20. The brackets 18 are securedto the vertical guides 10, and they may be extended so as to supportinclined braces 21, which extend from the frame 1 down nearly to thebottom of the posts or guides 10. Cleats 22 may be secured upon thebraces 21 to form a ladder for going into or out of the well.

The buckets are preferably formed from sheet-iron, with or without astrengtheningstrip at the top, and are each preferably semicircular incross-section with straight or parallel ends 23. Each end is rigidlysecured at its upper edge to the conveyer, as to one of the links 2t, inany suitable manner, as by means of ordinary cross arms 25. The point ofattachment between each bucket and the chain is at substantially themid-width of the bucket and is so made that the top of the bucket willstand at right angles to the chain at all times, being at such adistance from the inner edge on wall 26 that when the bucket is beingdischarged said wall forms a straight discharge-lip,which will just passover the shaft 8 between the set of pulleys at the right angle of thetriangle at the top of the Well.

The outer edge on wall 27 of the bucket is formed on a curve equal tothe arc of acircle whose center is at the center of the shaft at thebottom of the well, and the radius extends to the outer edge of thebucket when it is passing over the pulleys on said shaft. This form ofthe outer line or edge of the bucket will cause it to enter the water asa knife-edge, and thereby oEer the least resistance and also preventjarring or movement of the elevator, which would be caused by a flatportion of the bucket striking the water. The inner edge on wall of thebucket is substantially straight or fiat and has a suflicieutinclination to permit of the complete discharge of the contents whilethe bucket is traveling along the horizontal portion of its journey.Said elevator-bucket is formed in the segment of a cylinder, and theouter wall 27 thereof is substantially conformed to the curved portionof the perimeter of said segment, and the inner wall 26 of said bucketis a chord to the extended curve of said curved portion, and the radiusof said curved portion is such that when the bucket is passing around apulley said curved outer wall lies substantially in an arc inscribedfrom the axis of the pulley. This will be understood from Figs. I andIII, in the latter of which views it will be observed that the innerwall of the discharging-bucket is aslant and directed above the shaft 30at the moment of discharge, so that the contents of the bucket will bepoured over the shaft into the receptacle while the outer curved wall ofsaid bucket resists any tendency of any water to fly up from centrifugalforce, whereby the elevator is adapted to empty more readily and to runat a higher speed without throwing or dragging the water or othermaterial. This form of bucket will also permit of the escape of the airat the earliest possible moment as it is carried around the lowerpulleys,'thereby permitting of the buckets being completely filled withWater as soon as'they start on their upward journey. By rigidly securingthe buckets to the chain with the top at right angles thereto and movingthe ascending leg in a vertical direction the buckets can be filled totheir top without danger of the water being spilled or splashed out. Itwill also cause the outer edge of the bucket to swing in a much greaterare than the inner edge when the bucket is being emptied or passed overthe shaft of the bucket-emptying set of pulleys,-thereby preventing thebucket from being jerked out from under a portion of the water at theouteredge when the turn is being made, as would happen if the bucketswere pivotally secured to their support-s or were not secured rigidly attheir upper edges. Since the distance between the inner edge of thebucket and the links which suspend said bucket is approximately equal tothe radius of the bucketemptying set of pulleys, the inner edge of thebucket remains substantially still by moving through such a small arc ofa circle while it is being emptied, and it is evident that the dischargetakes place virtually similar to what would occurinemptying an ordinarypail by hand, as by resting one edge upon a support and swinging theentire bucket and its contents thereon in the arc of a circle. Thisdesirable end is attained by so constructing and mounting the trough andbuckets that the outwardly-inclined discharge-lip of the bucket passesin close' proximity to the bucket-emptying set of pulleys.

Although any desired form of trough or receptacle may be used at the topof the well, I prefer and have shown a trough 28, preferably formed fromgalvanized sheet-iron, with its bottom resting upon or supported by theframe 1 and one side of it provided with a lateral discharge 29. Theends of the troughare preferably inclined, and one of them, as at theemptying end, may have an end lip 30, which extends to and over the axle8, so as to partially or wholly encircle the axle, as shown. This willpreventthe escape of any water at that point,as the contents of thebuckets do not begin to escape until after the inner edge of the buckethas passed above the center of said shaft and the direction of movementof the buckets begins to change from vertical to horizontal.

The sides of the trough are extended a sufficient distance above theshafts 8 to prevent the escape of the water except through thedischarge, and at the emptying end of the trough the sides are extendedbeyond the shaft 8, so as to form guards 31,betwe'en which the ends ofthe buckets pass as they are being swung over in emptying,.thuspreventing the escape of-the water from the buckets lat.- erally beyondthe sides of the trough. In this connection I have provided means, whichI will 'now describe, arranged in the trough to retard and quiet therush of water and prevent the splashing thereof. Arranged horizontallywithin the trough at-a suitable distance above the bottom to prevent itsinterfering with the escape of the water through the discharge-outlet isa lattice-work 32, the slats 33 of Which are inclined and arrangedsubstantially on a line with the oblique rush of water from the buckets.When the latticework is constructed and mounted in the trough in thismanner, the thin slat 33 not only tend to guide the water into thetrough, but on account of their inclination they prevent the inrushingwater from being thrown out of the trough by splashing up from thebottom thereof when emptied from moving buckets. The slats may be heldtogether and retained in their inclined position in any suitable manner,as by means of spacers 34 and bolts 35, the bolts being passed throughthe upper and lower edges, respectively, of the neath the lattice-workto assist in forcing the water out at the discharge. The bottom of theglance-board is arranged at a short distance above the bottom of thetrough, so as to permit of the escape of any Water thereunder which maybe carried or forced over onto the outside of said board. The ends ofthe board are preferably bent at an angle and secured to the sides ofthe trough, whereby greater rigidity is secured for the parts.

Although the lattice-work may be supported in any desirable manner, Ihave shown it resting upon two brace-bars 39, the inner ends of saidbars being preferably bent and secured to the sides of the wall ortrough opof the water being discharged. By properly spacing the slatsapart the angles formed by two of the slats and their bolts will restupon the bars, and the lattice-work will thereby be prevented from beingmoved out of position. By arranging the lattice-work in this manner itcan be held at a sufficient distance above the bottom of the trough toprevent its interfering with the-escape of the water, and at the sametime its upper surface will be out of the Way of the inner edges of thebuckets as they are being carried horizontally across it, the strainupon the conveyer being sufficient to prevent any sagging of the bucketsat that point. By causing the conveyer to travel in a horizontaldirection across the top of the trough, with the buckets rigidly heldwith their tops in a vertical direction and the inner edge on anincline, a sufficient opportunity is given for the entire contents ofthe buckets to be discharged into the trough before the buckets arestarted on their journey into the well for another load.

To permit of supporting the trough directly on top of the frame 1, it isnecessary that the shafts 8 be supported at a suitable distance abovethe frame,which can be done by mounting their bearings 40 on top ofsuitable sleeves 41 and holding them rigidlyin place by means ofmachine-bolts 42. If desired,a shouldered washer 43 may be placed undereach sleeve and each bearing may be provided with a shoulder 44 to fitinto the top of the sleeve.

Additional rigidity is given to the bearings by connecting those uponthe same side of the trough by means of a screw-threaded rod 45, whichis screwed at its ends into shoulderedprojectionstherefrom.Suitablesleeves 46 are mounted on the rods, with their ends inengagement with the projections, whereby a very strong and rigidconstruction is formed. The sleeves upon the discharge side of thetrough are preferably formed in sections, the end ones of which fitbetween the bearings and the sides of the outlet, and the middle onefits between said sides. In this manner the sleeves act as supports orbraces for the sides of the outlet, and the shaft passes throughsuitable openings 47 in the sides of the outlet and through the bars 39.

'In operating my invention the conveyer is mounted upon the pulleys andpower applied to the pulleys provided with the sprockets or teeth. Thiswill cause the buckets of the conveyer to be carried down into the waterand up out of the same and over the trough, from whence the water can bedelivered where needed, as over the land to be irrigated. Owing to thepeculiar formation of the buckets they will be carried into and throughthe water with the least possible resistance and will be carried to thetop with comparatively no loss of contents and discharged withoutexcessive waste or leakage. The buckets can be formed without spouts orprojections at the top and can thereby be arranged very close to eachother upon the chains, thereby increasing the capacity of the conveyerin proportion to its length, which will permit of an almost constantstream being poured into the trough. As the separate buckets are carriedup over one set of the upper pulleys and discharged the water will passdown between the slats of the lattice into the trough, and as it will beimpossible for it to pass up between the slats in the opposite directionto escape it will be forced out through the lateral discharge, theweight of the oncoming stream of water as the bucket is emptied addingto the movement of the water below it in passing out through the sidesof the trough into the discharge.

When it is desired to vary the position of the lower end of theconveyer, it can readily be done by putting in or taking out additionallinks in the chain, preferably upon the inclined or descending portion,thereby regulating the length of the conveyer to the height of the waterin the well or reservoir and also permitting the conveyer to be used forthe purpose of sinking shaftsor excavations in the ground, whereby theempty buckets may be always carried down to a convenient point to befilled by the workmen in the shaft. The utility of the elevator for thispurpose is increased by reason of the peculiar formation through whichit is caused to passthat is, by arranging one leg or portion of itadjacent to one side of the shaft and inclining the other leg orportion, which will give plenty of room in the main portion of the shaftfor the workmen'in removing the earth and filling it into the buckets.

Although I have shown what I consider the most desirable form ofconstructing my invention, yet it is evident that changes andalterations can be made therein, and I reserve the right to make suchvariations in any or all of the parts as will come within the scope ofmy invention.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is

1. In a water-elevator, a support, sets of pulleys mounted thereon,vertical guides below one of said sets, a lower set of pulleys mountedbetween said guides, a pair of parallel guides for the connection andextending longitudinally in line with one of the top sets of pulleys andthe lower set of pulleys, a trough having an end lip extending to andover the axle of the bucket-emptying set of pulleys, a conveyercomprising two parallel connections adapted to engage with therespective pulleys and pass between the parallel guides, and bucketsmounted between the connections and having discharge-lips adapted topass in close proximity to the axle of the bucket-emptying set ofpulleys.

2. In a water-elevator, in combination, a trough, means for emptyingmoving buckets into said trough, and a series of slats in the troughhaving their lower sides inclined to prevent the Water splashing out ofthe trough.

3. In a water-elevator, in combination, a trough, means for emptyingmoving buckets into said trough, and a series of slats therein havingtheir upper edges inclined toward the incoming water and their lowersides adapted to prevent splashing.

4. In a water-elevator, in combination, a trough, a series of bucketsadapted to be emptied into said trough while moving longitudinallythereof, and a series of transverse slats in said trough having theirupper edges inclined toward the incoming water and their lower edgesraised slightly above the bottom of the trough, the lower sides of saidslats be ing adapted to prevent the water splashing out of the trough.

5. In a water-elevator, in combination, an

elongated trough adapted to receive water from buckets movinglongitudinally thereover, a moving connection, a series of bucketsmounted thereon, pulleys for carrying said connection, there being apulley at the end of the trough adjacent to the ascending bucketswhereby the'direction of movement of the buckets is changed fromvertical to horizontal as said buckets begin to empty, and a series oftransverse slats inclined toward the incoming water and arranged in thetrough to prevent water splashing therefrom.

6. In a water-elevator, a frame, sets of pulleys mounted therein, one ofsaid sets near the bottom of the well, an endless conveyer carried bysaid sets of pulleys and including two parallel connections, a bucketattached to the connections at substantially its midwidth, the outerwall of said bucket forming a curve which lies substantially in an arcinscribed from the axis of the bottom set of pulleys when the bucketpasses therearound, the inner wall of said bucket being substantiallystraight and forming a lip which moves in close proximity to the axis ofone of the 11pper sets of pulleys when emptying, and a trough extendingto and over the axle of the bucket-emptying set of pulleys.

7. In a water-elevator, a support, sets of pulleys mounted thereonat adistance from each other, vertical guides below one of said sets, a setof pulleys loosely mounted between said guides, a pair of parallelguides adjacent to each vertical guide, and an endless conveyer mountedupon said pulleys, said conveyer comprising two chains and a series ofbuckets secured thereto, said chains being adapted to engage with therespective pulleys and to pass between the parallel guides.

8. In a water-elevator, a support, sets of pulleys mounted thereon at adistance from each other, vertical guides below one of said sets, a setof pulleys loosely mounted between said guides, brackets secured to saidguides, parallel guides for each vertical guide, bolts and spacers forsecuring said parallel guides to the brackets, and an endless conveyerprovided with chains which engage with the respective pulleys and passbetween said parallel guides.

9. In a water-elevator, a support, sets of pulleys mounted thereon at adistance from each other, guides below one of said sets, a set ofpulleys loosely mounted between said guides, brackets secured to each ofsaid guides, parallel guides secured to the projecting ends of saidbrackets at one side of each guide,- and an inclined brace secured tothe other, said inclined brace being provided with cleats to form aladder, and an endless conveyer provided with chains which engage withthe respective pulleys and pass between said parallel guides.

10. In a water-elevator, a support, sets of pulleys mounted thereon at adistance from each other, a set of pulleys below said support, a troughbetween the pulleys at the top and provided with'a lateral discharge, alattice mounted in said trough above the bottom and comprising inclinedslats and means for spacing them apart, an endless conveyer upon saidpulleys provided with buckets, and means for discharging the contents ofsaid buckets substantially in a line with the inclination of said slats.

11. In a water-elevator, a support, sets of pulleys mounted, thereon ata distance from each other, a set of pulleys below said support, atrough between the pulleys at the top and provided with a lateraldischarge, a lattice mounted in the trough at a distance from thebottom,an inclined glance-board below said lattice, and an endless conveyermounted upon said pulleys. I

12. In a water-elevator, a support, sets of pulleys mounted thereon at adistance from each other, a set of pulleys below the support, a troughbetween said pulleys and provided with a lateral discharge, a latticemounted in the trough at a distance from the bottom, one of the slats ofwhich has its lower edge adjacent to one end of the trough, an inclinedglance board below the lattice, the lower edge of which is at a distancefromthe bottom of the trough, and an endless conveyer on said pulleys.13. In a water-elevator, a support, sets of pulleys mounted thereon at adistance from each other, a set of pulleys below the support, a troughbetween the pulleys at the top and provided with a lateral discharge,braces secured to the sides of the trough opposite the discharge at oneend and secured to the sides of the discharge beyond the trough at theother end, a lattice mounted on said braces within the trough, and anendless conveyer mounted on said pulleys.

14. In a water-elevator, a support, sets of pulleys mounted thereon at adistance from each other, a shaft for each set of pulleys, the bearingsfor which are each provided with shoulders, a sleeve and a bolt forsupporting each bearing upon the support, screw-threaded rods forconnecting the bearings of the respective ends of said shafts, a troughbetween said pulleys, and an endless conveyer over said pulleys.

15. In a water-elevator, a support, sets of pulleys mounted thereon at adistance from each other, each set being provided with a shaft, a troughbetween said sets and provided with a lateral discharge, the sides ofsaid discharge being perforated, means for supportingthejournal-bearings of said shafts shaft upon said side passing throughsaid sections and through perforations in the sides of thedischarge.

16. In a water-elevator, an endless conveyerand pulleys of definiteradius therefor,a trough adjacent to the axle of the bucketemptying setof pulleys, the elevator being provided with a bucket which is attachedat substantially its mid-width to the conveyor, said bucket being formedin the segment of a cylinder and the outer wall thereof substantiallyconformed to the curved portion of the perimeter of said segment and theinner wall forming a straight outwardly-inclined pouring-lip whichpasses in close proximity to the axle of the bucket-emptying set ofpulleys, the curved portion being such that when the bucket is passingaround the lower set of pulleys said outer wall lies substantially in anarc inscribed from the axis of the pulley.

17. In a water-elevator, a frame, sets of pulleys mounted therein, oneof said sets near the bottom of the well, an endless conveyer carried bysaid sets of pulleys and including two parallel connections, a bucketattached to the connections at substantially its midwidth and havingapouring-lip which passes in close proximity to the axle of thebucketemptying set of pulleys, and a trough having a lip adjacent to theaxle of the bucket-emptying set of pulleys, said lip being adapted toreceive the water as soon as the buckets begin to empty.

18. The combination ofa conveyer com prising chains and having anascending limb,

pulleys carrying said chains, two pulleys being bucket-emptying pulleysarranged at the top of the ascending limb of said conveyor to change thedirection of the conveyor, and a bucket suspended from and rigidlyconnected with opposite links of the conveyer and furnished with apouring lip, the edge of which is located inwardly from said links adistance therefrom approximately equal to the radius of saidsupporting-pulleys.

19. In a water-elevator, a support, sets of pulleys mounted thereon at adistance from each other, a trough extending between said sets ofpulleys, a shaft for each set of pulleys, bearings for said shafts andabove the support, and a rod connecting the bearings of the respectivepulleys;

20. In a water-elevator, a support, sets of pulleys mounted thereon-at adistance from each other, a trough extending between said sets ofpulleys, a shaft for each set of pulleys, bearings for said shafts andabove the support, and a rod on each side of the trough connecting thebearings of the respective pul' leys.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name, in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses, at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles andState of California, this 2d day of May, 1902.

JAMES LLOYD BROWN.

Witnesses:

W. S. BOYD, F. M. TOWNSEND.

